City staff, and community organizations, have been hard at work implementing the Environmental Action Agenda.  The following list highlights some of the recent accomplishments.

Lean Green City Government

• Designed and built "green" city buildings - new City Hall, Justice Center, McCaw Performance Hall, and other that are green building, resource efficient and are healthy for people and the environment

• Retrofitted nearly all of the City's fleet of heavy duty diesel trucks with emission control devices, cutting toxic emissions and particulates by approximately 50 percent

• Only the cleanest diesel fuel available is used by the City's 500 diesel vehicles: B20, a combination of ultra-low sulfur diesel and biodiesel.  No other diesel fleet fleet in the region meets that standard

• By the end of 2004, approximately one third of the City's sub-compact cars (there are about 790) will be among the cleanest cars available - either gas/electric hybrid, compressed natural gas, or electric

Healthy Urban Environments

Growth Management

• Launched Center City strategy to create a vibrant, livable, walkable downtown

• City Light worked on energy conservation options with South Lake Union customers resulting in cost savings of almost $300,000 and enough energy to power almost 470 homes

• Developed environmental goals and principals to guide Central Waterfront redevelopment

• Initiated Northgate redevelopment plan, including getting important stretch of Thornton Creek into public ownership

Clean Water

• Built three new storm water detention ponds at Jackson Park Golf Course to reduce storm water runoff, flooding and erosion

• With King County, nearing completion of Lake Union combined sewer overflow reduction project

• Make Green Lake safe for swimmers with planned alum treatment

• Developed the Comprehensive Drainage Plan - a 20 year strategy for protecting and restoring water quality and urban creek health

• The City's most ambitious natural drainage project at Broadview Green Grid to transform 15 city blocks and help improve the quality of storm water that flows across 32 acres into Piper's Creek.  This project will reduce flooding, improve water quality, provide new sidewalks, calm traffic and enhance the neighborhood's landscaping

• Working on an innovative public-private partnership to clean and improve the health of the Duwamish Waterway using the best available science and technologies

Salmon Recovery

• Seattle City Light's Skagit Project - the first large hydro project in the nation to be certified as Low Impact Hydropower which states that Skagit operations are environmentally sensitive.  The pink salmon celebrated that achievement by returning to the Skagit River to spawn in the largest numbers in 40 years

• Opened a new fish passage on the Cedar River that allows salmon and trout access to more than 17 miles of protected, high quality habitat for the first time in a century

• During the sustained record low precipitation and record high summer temperatures of 2002/2003, Seattle Public Utilities protected fish habitat by meeting all in stream flow requirements while also meeting the needs of its customers

Clean Energy

• City Light to meet all load growth through renewable resources and conservation

• City Light has already contracted for 100 peak megawatts of wind energy and acquired 14.5 average megawatts of conservation

• City Light provided financial and technical support through Green Power Program for 9 solar energy systems at Seattle school and parks

• Supported state legislation for increased energy efficiency and renewable energy supply that allows flexibility for utilities to meet those goals

• Partnered with Climate Solutions to produce "Poised for Profit", a study to help Pacific Northwest become a center of clean energy jobs

Climate Protection

• City Light continues to be the only large electric utility in the country committed to zero net greenhouse gas emissions.  Fleets and Facilities Department, Seattle Public Utilities' waste haulers and, soon, the Washington State Ferries, to switch to biodiesel

• Actively supported CO2 mitigation requirements for new power plants

• Helped initiate Puget Sound Clean Air Agency's multi-stakeholder process to develop a regional Climate Protection Action Plan

• Land Stewardship

• Negotiated an agreement with the Bonneville Power Administration that adds nearly 600 acres of land to the Cedar River Watershed

• Initiated reservoir-covering program

• Acquired more than 30 acres for new parks, green space and community gardens, many in underserved areas such as Rainer Valley, New Holly, Hillman City, Westwood, and Highpoint

Smart Mobility

Keeping Seattle Moving

• Broke ground for light rail, and helped secure $75 million in federal funding

• Initiated Bus Rapid Transit on Aurora Avenue North

• Improved traffic flow through better signal timing and resurfacing streets

• Supported the Monorail and proposed South Lake Union street car as healthier, cleaner transportation choices

• Completed more than 22 sidewalk enhancements, improving neighborhoods and pedestrian access

Clean Air

• Worked with Puget Sound Air Control Agency on a pilot project to reduce vehicle idling at draw bridges

Strong Environmental Practices

Waste Reduction, Recycling and Conservation

• Launched Clean Seattle Initiative where City workers and neighbors together clean up parks and streets.  In 2003, cleaned 12 neighborhoods with more than 1,500 volunteers and collected more than eight tons of litter

• Put new rules in place to re-establish Seattle as a national recycling leader

• Delivered 100,000 recycling bags to apartment buildings and condos throughout the City to increase recycling in multi-family buildings

• Completed 10,000 conservation retrofits in low-income housing units, including toilet, showerhead, and faucet aerator replacements

• Maintained water supply reservoirs at 75 percent of normal capacity despite record-low precipitation and record-high summer temperatures

• Providing incentives and technical assistance to accelerate environmentally sustainable design and construction practices in the private sector

Progress Report

	2002 Progress Report on the Environmental Action Agenda (PDF 1.01 MB)
	2002 Progress at a Glance (PDF 159KB)